If I Didn't Have You
by Forever-Tangled
Summary: Modern AU series of one-shots that tie into previous works "Welcome Home" & "Dreams and Dads". Title from the song "If I Didn't Have You" by Thompson Square. Rated T just in case but it's just likely gonna be fluff. Love this storyline and tried & failed to put it away and forget about it, so here we are. Disclaimer: I don't own anything except the laptop I'm writing this on.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey guys! So this is basically a series of one-shots (I can't help myself) spinning off of my "Welcome Home" and potentially "Dreams and Dads" works. Once again (obviously) it's a modern-day AU. The title is inspired by the song "If I Didn't Have You" by Thompson Square, which I love to pieces. I thought I was done with this storyline but my brain said "Well, what about...THIS!" and so here I am. They probably will not be in order because I have so many different ideas, once again (if you know me, you already know that my brain works overtime constantly and never shuts up...) but I'll put in bold or italics or whatever what time frame it's set in - whether they're engaged or married. So yeah! So excited to be touching on this storyline once more. I fell in love with it harder than I thought I would. I'm probably overdoing it. If I am just let me know. You won't hurt my feelings. I'll stop rambling now.**

* * *

 _Time frame: Engaged_

* * *

"I don't know how to skate."  
Rapunzel stared at Eugene dubiously as he expertly tied the roller skates onto his feet. The roller rink stank of cigarette smoke, air freshener, and pizza, and the music was a little too loud. This was their first date in which Eugene hadn't told her where they were going. She'd never been to a roller rink, and - she cringed as she saw a young boy fall on his tailbone and start crying - it looked pretty dangerous. And painful.  
Eugene glanced up at her in surprise. "You've never been?"  
"No," she shook her head. "I'm assuming you have?"  
"As a kid, lots - the orphanage had a lot of little outings. I went just to get out of the stupid place; not like I got along with the kids," he chuckled. "I can show you."  
"I..." she trailed off. "Maybe I'll just watch you."  
"Well, that's no fun," he grinned at her, his brown eyes sparkling. "You sure?"  
She felt torn as she saw the pure excitement in his eyes. He embraced her in all of her weird little quirks, couldn't she please him with rollerskating, even if it did mean a sore... _everything_...tomorrow? (And possibly the next day after?) She shook her head. "If I fall down and crack my head and forget everything I ever learned, it's your fault."  
"I'll take the blame," he threw back teasingly.  
She shook her head and turned towards the lady who handed out the roller skates, nearly having to stand up on tiptoe because the counter was so tall. She quietly asked the woman - who looked none too amused at Rapunzel's uncertainty - for a pair of skates her size, and flinched when they were nearly immediately clomped down in front of her face. "Thank you," she squeaked, taking them and hurrying off to the nearest bench. Eugene wobbled along behind her, slowing and almost tripping as he tried to sit beside her.

He laughed at her alarmed expression. "It's like riding a bike, don't worry."  
"I barely know how to ride a bike!" she grumbled. "I'm gonna make a fool out of myself."  
"Then you can beat me up," he winked, his chocolatey eyes melting her heart. She rolled her eyes to mask the feeling and jerked at the tangled strings on her skates. When she got the deathtraps on wheels situated on her feet, he stood up and held his hands out to her. She took them, standing uncertainly, and then a teasing glimmer reappeared in Eugene's eyes.  
"Don't you even _think_ about doing _anything_ ," she warned him, and he chuckled.  
"Who says I was thinking about feigning a fall, or tickling your side, or-"  
She pulled away from his grasp to shove his chest teasingly, but then she ended up slipping backwards, her knees catching against the bench she'd just risen from and knocking her back down on it.  
"See, don't be mean to your fiance. He knows what he's doing - mostly - and will take care of you. It's going to be fun," he laughed, and she tried to appear annoyed once more. It didn't work.

And then she found herself wobbling alongside him on the slick surface of the rollerskating rink, shuffling along and feeling not nearly as adorable as the five year old kids who were just learning. He was patient, though, and slowly explained how to skate.  
"Push off...stride...stride...lean to turn. Lean-not that way!" he chuckled when she, in a moment of bravery, leaned her weight into him instead of the direction they needed to turn. When she righted herself and glanced up to laugh, he grinned. "I told you it'd be fun, and I knew you'd catch on quickly. _Are_ you having fun?"  
"I suppose, but we've hardly even been out here yet!"

They skated for about an hour, and then carefully eased out of the rink to buy some incredibly greasy pizza and warm sodas. As they sat at their table, a group of three girls raced awkwardly over to them, blushing.  
"Are you Eugene Fitzherbert?" one girl, a brunette with blue eyes, asked. She was beaming, displaying a full set of braces. She clutched a book Rapunzel recognized quite well to her chest.  
"I suppose I am, yes...?" he raised an eyebrow and wiped his hands on his napkin, holding back a grimace at the screech of his greasy fingers on the napkin.  
"Can you sign our books? Oh my gosh, your poetry is so _beautiful_ and romantic!" another girl, a blonde, exclaimed eagerly. She dragged the third girl, who had to be related to her and very shy, up front and center. "Your work is amazing! How old are you? I'm seventeen."  
He laughed awkwardly, evading the question. "Thank you. You're almost out of high school, then?" he asked.  
"One more year of high school for me, too," the brunette nodded, answering his question for the other girl. She shoved a pen his way. "You write _so_ romantically. Did you write it about a girlfriend? Are you married?"  
Eugene's face split into a larger, less awkward smile. "Yes, I did write it about my now-fiancee. She's my inspiration for everything," he turned to look at Rapunzel, and she blushed, but wiggled her fingers in an awkward wave at the three girls. The shiest one smiled, but the other blonde - the one who had asked how old Eugene was - and the brunette barely covered scowls as they took in the ring on Rapunzel's hand.  
"It's nice to meet you three," Rapunzel said, not quite catching why the girls glowered so.  
" _She_ was your inspiration for the poems? You described her so differently...as if she were flawless." The blonde allowed her gaze to focus on Rapunzel's freckles, then her scar on her arm. Rapunzel quickly moved to cover the scar, as if she couldn't possibly compare to the seventeen year old.

"That's because she is," Eugene said simply, taking the pen and signing the books while maintaining a smile, which now appeared almost stiff. "There you go, girls. Thank you!"  
"Thank _you_!" they said in unison, but the blonde threw one more glance towards Rapunzel's scar as she left, fluffing her perfectly styled hair. The brunette seemed no worse for wear after her recovery, staring blissfully at the signature for a moment before running off, yelling something to a friend. The shy one stuck back for a moment, still staring, and then turned and sped off on her roller blades.  
Eugene glanced back towards Rapunzel to see her fingers moving jerkily up and down her scar. He reached over immediately and tucked her fingers in his larger hand. "Hey. They don't know you. She was conceited and I think pretty upset about the fact that I evaded their little flirty questions," he leaned over to whisper.  
"Oh, I know it's silly and I'm not mad at her, goodness no," Rapunzel shook her head, embarrassed. "Just...it seems like the first thing most people notice about me is my scar."  
"That's because people see scars as flaws, not history or battles won," he said quietly, smiling at her before dipping his finger in some of his pizza slice's red sauce and then dabbing her cheek with it.  
She laughed, pulling her hand away so she could rub at it, rolling her eyes teasingly. "I don't know what I'm going to do with you sometimes."  
"Kiss me, maybe?" he asked, winking.

She giggled, shaking her head. "How 'bout we get back to our pizza before another horde of frantic, flirting fans approach?"  
"I didn't think my work would be that...you know. Cool."  
Rapunzel smiled as his face grew tomato red. "Well, it _is_ great. You have a real talent. And I told you you'd have tons of fans!"  
He lowered the whole crust from his slice into his mouth at once, wincing as he chewed and swallowed. "Eh. Beginner's luck, probably."  
" _Or_ a super awesome person who just won't accept it as fact," she laughed, standing up and scooping up her trash. She held out her paper plate and he threw his on top, thanking her. Shakily, she shuffled towards the trash can and threw it in, turning around slowly. She'd gotten the hang of skating, but her time sitting down had made her legs settle into a mild shakiness. Eugene caught her eye, grinning, and made his way over to her, slipping his arm around her.  
"Need help?" he asked.  
"Mmh...yes," she nodded. "Legs are kinda shaky."  
"I see. Too sore to keep skating?"  
"No," she shook her head. "It's fun."  
"Told you," he mouthed, giving her a pleased gri.

Rapunzel dropped Eugene off at his apartment before driving back to her own house after their day out. She got out of her little car and walked with him up to the doorstep of the complex he lived in, smiling pleasantly despite the ache that was settling over her entire body, between the few falls she'd had and just generally using muscles she didn't use often.  
"Thank you so much!" she told him, grabbing him up into a hug as soon as he turned to look at her.  
He laughed, wrapping his arms around her and giving her a squeeze. "Thank _you_ for coming with and for driving, beautiful."  
She reached up on tiptoe for a quick kiss that made her stomach flutter. "I'll see you at church tomorrow?" she asked. They'd recently settled into a church congregation. Whether it was temporary or permanent was still unknown, but she enjoyed the little church nonetheless.  
"I'll see you at church tomorrow," he nodded, not in a huge rush to go inside.  
She grinned and kissed his jaw. "Better go inside before you're rushed by more flirty fans," she teased.  
"Jealous?" he asked, smiling, "Because you've got _nothing_ to worry about." He bent and punctuated his sentence with quick little pecks across her face, making her nose wrinkle.  
Rapunzel pushed him teasingly. "Not jealous. Genuinely concerned about your safety if a larger group approaches."  
"Then I'll call in my awesome fiancee with her epic abilities with frying pans," he tossed back teasingly.


	2. Chapter 2

_Status: Engaged.  
_  
Eugene jogged up Rapunzel's porch, knocking on her door anxiously. He was more than a little concerned about the message she'd left on his phone that morning. With only a week until their scheduled 'wedding' at the Justice of the Peace's magistrate, she was nervous...they both were. But her message was more than a little unnerving.  
"Hey," he strode in as soon as she opened the door. "What's the matter? Your message didn't make any sense at all..." Her nose was bright red and her cheeks were stained with tears and she looked almost scared to even speak.  
"I...I don't know, Eugene...I-I don't think we're ready yet, I think we're moving too fast and I'm afraid if we get married we'll ruin our relationship a-and-"  
"Hold up," he took her arm and guided her over to the kitchen table, sitting her down in a chair before taking a seat across from her. "You..what're...slow down and tell me."

She buried her face in her hands. "I don't know. I-I don't think we should go through with it."  
His eyebrows elevated, his heart beating against his ribcage at this statement. Was he about to lose her? "We shouldn't get married? Why do you think that? Was there something I did?"  
The brunette shook her head, her eyebrows furrowed. "No! You didn't do anything. It's just-I just...Like I said, I'm afraid it'd ruin our relationship. So many people think it's a good idea to get married and then end up getting divorced and I don't think I could ever...I'm so scared that would happen to us!"  
He swallowed. "So you don't want to get married."  
She buried her face in her hands and choked. "Or will _that_ mess our relationship up, too?!"  
Eugene fell silent for a few minutes, processing all of this. "You were just fine yesterday. We have had the appointment at the magistrate scheduled for a month...we've been engaged, which almost always leads to marriage, for almost two months. And we've known each other for a year. What happened?"  
Rapunzel gulped. "I-I...like I said...I'm just afraid it'll tear us apart. I was just thinking last night, and..."  
"If something's bothering you, then tell me, Rapunzel. Don't beat around the bush or be afraid to tell me," he said. He wasn't thinking entirely straight - seriously, how _could_ he be, and only a week before the date! - and was certain she wasn't telling him something.

"I _am_ telling you!" she yelped, her voice soaring upwards, frustrated at her inability to convey her concerns, her fears. She loved him so much...but she was so scared that they were moving too quickly and their marriage would fall apart. She couldn't take one more broken home in her lifetime. Plus, pre-wedding jitters were getting the best of her...and Eugene, too.  
"So what changed your mind?" he insisted.  
She stood up and strode away, her mind completely muddled up. "I-I'm trying to tell you, but you won't accept the answer! I'm sorry if you can't understand!"  
He bit the inside of his cheek and stood, frustrated too. But there was one thing that seemed to him fairly obvious; she didn't want him around right now. Maybe not ever. "If that's what you want, okay. I'll cancel the appointment Monday when the office opens. But if you're worried about ruining our relationship, what do you think is worse? Working to improve a marriage or breaking a two-month promise?"  
Her eyes welled with tears, and she stared at him as she considered his words. But when he softened and reached to hug her, her mind screamed contradictions and she wouldn't let him. He clenched his jaw in frustration. Did he stay with her or leave?  
"Well, it seems like you don't want me around, so I'll leave you alone. Let me know if you change your mind." he almost added _again_ but bit it off, knowing this wasn't the time for snark. He was upset, she was upset, and their feelings were tangled up in nerves...never good. But there was no use attempting a logical discussion right now. As soon as he walked out the door, Rapunzel felt an immediate pang of remorse, confusion, and immense loneliness.

How on earth was she supposed to even _think_ in this state? She was terrified of making a bad decision. She didn't want to hurt him, but she also was scared she'd get hurt again somehow. She trusted him, of course, but the closeness of their date with the Justice of the Peace just made her terrified. She'd felt frustrated with him when he was here, and his presence just made her even more confused - because she loved him so, so much, but she was still so nervous and scared. And now that he was gone...she sat down on the floor, burying her face in her hands, and cried. He was right...they could work on a marriage. But a broken two-month promise that they'd been so excited for was almost unforgivable.

Eugene sat down on his couch in his apartment, burying his face in his hands and sighing. He'd screwed up somehow. He considered going back to her house and apologizing for how he'd handled the situation, but he wondered if he should just give her space. He could hardly stand it, though. And of course, if what she wanted was just more time, he'd give her all the time in the world before they married. His heart hurt and his head did, too. He'd talk to her before calling the wedding off, he decided. Tomorrow was Sunday, so maybe he could catch her before she left for church, he decided.

He didn't have to wait, though. At around nine o'clock, Rapunzel ran up the stairs of his apartment complex, looking for apartment 34B. She pounded on the door urgently. She was scared, but she was more afraid of what would happen if she didn't make things right.  
Eugene poked a single brown eye through the door he cracked, but then said eye widened and he opened the door.  
Immediately, he ushered her inside. "I'm sorry, Rapunzel. I shouldn't have-"  
"And I shouldn't have, either.I'm sorry. I-I was letting nerves affect my brain and my heart interfere with everything a-and...and it just got all complicated, and then my brain tried to mediate and it, ah..it didn't work." she peered cautiously at him through her thick lashes, which were clumped together, still a little damp from tears.  
"I should've realized that and stayed with you. But I was letting the same thing happen and I thought you needed space at the very least," he explained.  
"I-it did help, I suppose, but...I'm sorry we had to practically get into a fight. And I started it, so I can't tell you how awful-"  
"It's fine," he shook his head, opening his arms and offering a hug. She immediately slipped into them this time, hugging him with all her might. A shudder ran through her as she considered what the alternative could be. He didn't have to be understanding, but he was. He hugged her a bit tighter before letting her go. "Since you're here and maybe we're thinking with our brains instead of our hearts, nerves, _and_ brains, why don't we try to figure this mess out, hm?"

Rapunzel nodded, her brown locks falling into her face. She pushed them aside and glanced around his small, dark apartment as he moved to flip some lights on and turn the television off. He guided her over to the couch, so she perched on the edge and they turned to face each other.  
"Do _you_ have any reservations about getting married in a week?" she asked, watching him closely.  
"I'm nervous, yeah, but who doesn't get nervous before a major life decision? I don't have any reservations, though. What are yours?"  
She swallowed. "I'm scared that we're moving too fast and not thinking about it enough. I'm afraid if we do marry, someday we'll end up as just another broken home. It's a stupid concern, I know-"  
"No it isn't," he shook his head, watching her face carefully, "and especially not a weird thing coming from you. You spent your entire life in a terrible place, and you're scared you'll fall right back into it. You don't really know much else. But I want to show you how different it can be - how it _should_ be. I was in plenty of screwed up homes, too, but that means we both know what _not_ to do, right?"  
She choked, half-laughing and half-crying. "That's one way to look at it."  
"And we'll work through anything that comes between us. Promise. But if you want to wait longer, we can."  
"I don't want to disappoint you, though. I mean, like you said - we've been planning this for two months. We've both been so excited for it, and now.."  
"Getting cold feet is normal, too," he gave her a wry grin. "That's why we rely on one another for support. It might end up with little blowups, yeah, because you certainly can't think straight when you're trying to discuss something as touchy as this with the very same person you're so anxious about. But we'll get through it."

She sighed, feeling a weight slowly chipping off of her heart. "Are we moving too fast?"  
He thought for a minute. "I personally think we're alright, I mean...we've known each other for a year, but we're around each other almost daily. But by all means, if you're not ready, I'll wait for you. Just don't panic and call off our entire engagement," he joked carefully, feeling relieved when she laughed.  
"I know...I overreacted and I wasn't thinking."  
"I wasn't either, so..we're both terrible human beings," he said.  
"So if terrible is bad and bad can maybe be negative, do two negatives make a positive?" she asked teasingly.  
"Depends," he gave her a relieved smile, running a hand through her hair and letting it drop to cup her cheek. "What do you think?"  
"I think that it's going to be absolutely terrifying; no matter how long we wait we'll never be ready, and it'll be a learning process, but...if you think it'll be okay, I'll trust your intuition." she nibbled her lip, waiting for his response. He probably thought she was crazy, going back and forth so many times in one day. But he'd been the one to help her untangle her thoughts...as always. And she'd almost thrown that away just because of a mere, panicky thought in the middle of the night.

Eugene chuckled quietly and clasped her hands in his. "I'm glad. No more reservations? No more little thoughts that will bother you like that? Let's get it all figured out for sure-"  
She reached forward to break him off with a kiss, so he was more than happy to slip his arms around her and return it. When they came up for air, she buried her face in his shoulder. "I'm sorry. You probably think I'm nuts."  
"Not at all," he shook his head, giving her hair a few quick kisses. "You're not just going with this to make me happy, are you? Because I don't want that."  
She pulled away and shook her head. "No." As she spoke, her stomach growled loudly, and she clamped her hand over it, embarrassed.  
He chuckled. "Did you eat dinner?"  
Rapunzel bit her lip. "I was fretting so much I didn't really think about it."  
Eugene grinned in an understanding manner. "Same. Well, since it's after nine, I think we could really go for some junk food."  
"I can wait 'til I go home-"  
He stood up. "I was kind of hoping you'd stick around a little longer...but if you need to get back, you can. Did you walk here, or drive?"  
"I drove, since it was getting dark out."  
"Atta girl," he nodded, holding his hands out to her. She took them and stood, following him to his tiny kitchen. "This part of town gets a little creepy."

"I know," she grinned. He pulled out a carton of vanilla ice cream and got two spoons out, handing her one. She quirked a brow, but took it and thanked him, following him to his table.  
"So...are we good now?" he asked, watching her poke at the carton's contents with her spoon.  
She glanced up at him awkwardly and bit her lip. "I'm sorry I wigged out earlier.."  
"It's okay," he grinned and shook his head. "I'm glad we got that figured out, gorgeous. And like I said, pre-wedding jitters are normal. That's all this is. I have them, too."  
Rapunzel blushed, smiling. "Okay, handsome. I'm glad you talked it out with me before I did something stupid." Their _'gorgeous-handsome'_ exchange made a warmth spread through her as she thought about that evening at the diner, when and where the origins of their teasing compliments had sprouted as a distraction from fear over her adoptive mother.

He grinned, leaning across the small, round table to kiss the tip of her freckled nose. "No worries. I love you."  
"I love you too, you big dork," she wrinkled her nose and rubbed at the sticky ice-cream-ness he'd left. "Wipe your mouth before you kiss my nose again, please. Yick!" she teased.  
"Unappreciative. That's what you are - unappreciative," he threw back, trying to pull an offended face as he dropped his spoon back into the carton with a clatter. She took a step back, but he strode around the table to snag her by the waist - before she could run - and proceeded to cover her face with kisses, masking his relief to have figured out their little tiff by teasing her. She giggled and gently pushed him away, her eyes dancing. He was right: they'd be okay. They'd work through their troubles. And they'd have fun doing so, it seemed.


	3. Chapter 3

_Status: Married, few months._

 _Eighteen-year-old Rapunzel slipped into the alleyway and crawled behind the filthy, green dumpster. She tugged her black shirt hem up, prodding gently at her injury. Crawling out of her bedroom window and jumping the fence hadn't left her unscathed; she'd dragged back a terribly large amount of skin, leaving a horizontal, throbbing, bloody scrape across her stomach. Of course, she supposed it would've helped if she hadn't lost her balance and then fallen headfirst into a bunch of rose bushes on the other side...but that was all behind her. She still was surprised she'd been able to skin herself on her tummy, more or less. But it was bound for infection, since she hadn't been able to clean it. Her bandaged arm ached, too, and she knew she probably could use some stitches, if nothing else. But she obviously couldn't get medical help, and she definitely would not be going to a hospital. With her luck, they'd contact her adoptive mother! She hauled a bottle of water out of her little floral-patterned bag and trickled a little bit of it over her wound clumsily, biting back a gasp. She'd tend to her arm later, a bloody task she wasn't looking forward to completing._

Rapunzel let her fingers trace the ugly reddish-brown scar that remained across her stomach, once again remembering her escape from her adoptive mother. And once again, she wished her skin didn't scar so easily. She wouldn't have these reminders then. At least she could cover this one up, unlike the nasty reminder on her arm. She didn't notice Eugene stride into their room and watch her sympathetically for a moment. But then, he grabbed her around the waist, pulling her away from the small vanity's mirror and slipping the hem of her yellow shirt out of her grasp and down towards the waistband of her jeans, giving her a playful kiss on the cheek while he did this. "Hey. Quit poking at that scar of yours, gorgeous."  
She blushed, turning around in her husband's arms to give him a quick kiss. "Well...I was just thinking about it because it's been five years today since I obtained said scar."  
His dark eyebrows rose. "Five years since you escaped her."  
Rapunzel nodded. "I don't know why I even keep track...it's silly, I know."  
"No it isn't," he shook his head. "It was a major step in your life. Like, the biggest one ever!"  
"Mmm...I think the biggest step for me was letting you in and then marrying you. But it was the second-biggest, I guess, if you want to look at it that way," she slipped away from him and grabbed her purse. "We better get going to work." She didn't really want to talk about it.

Eugene followed her down the spiral staircase and out the front door, each of them snagging a muffin from the plastic bag on the counter. After downing a mouthful, he gulped and nudged her arm gently. "I think we need to celebrate your fifth-year-away-from-Veronica-anniversary."  
She glanced up at him and giggled. "It doesn't call for celebration...I'm not even going to try repeating all that."  
"Sure it does. It takes a lot of courage to escape an abusive relationship. But you did it. I say after work we head down to the creamery."  
She bit her lip. "You said you had a long day with Levi today?"  
"It's open 'til midnight," he mentioned, slipping an arm around her shoulders and plopping a kiss in her hair.  
She laughed. "Alright...if you're so bent on it. But I have the feeling you just want an excuse to go to the creamery-" He gave her a mock-offended glance. "Maybe I'm glad my wife ran away from her adoptive mother five years ago, and want to make a big deal out of it because she's worth it and way too...I don't know. Quiet about it."  
She grinned, shaking her head. "Like I said, it's not a huge deal to me. More like, I wish I could _forget_ about it."  
He nodded, but Rapunzel felt an instant pang of guilt. They were married and she still kept some things to herself - this included. Of all people, Eugene would understand and empathize with her during the short time she, too, was homeless. A chilly breeze of October air sent her back in time, and she pulled her sweater sleeves over her hands to try and ward it off.

 _That second night was so cold. She hadn't considered the date of her escape...October wasn't the best time to run away from home. Not in the Pennsylvania or New York area. The temperature tanked and she was left hugging a brick building, sheltered behind a bunch of pallets from both terrible people and the wind. It was almost dawn, but she had to try and get a couple of hours of rest before continuing. She was about two days away from Buffalo, New York, but it still didn't seem far enough away from her adoptive mother. Her injuries were throbbing and her nose was running; her stomach grating a reminder that she hadn't eaten since her departure. She rummaged in her bag, searching for the leaves and few wild strawberries she'd found in the woods she'd passed through earlier in the day. The berries weren't much, but they were something. The leaves she'd picked were good for drawing out infection; she'd read about them once when researching home remedies for a health class essay. It'd be best if she had some milk, bread, and plastic wrap to make herself a poultice, but these green leafy things would suffice if she wet them. She cleaned up her wounds with her little first-aid kit - that was already dwindling in supplies - and bit back a whimper as the saline solution bore into her. She gently pressed the leaves up against the inflamed injuries and quickly wrapped them back up. She'd curl up in a ball and sleep with her bag as a pillow._

She shook her head to clear the snippet of a memory and pushed through the bookstore doors, holding them open for Eugene.  
"Chilly morning!" Mrs. Barnes called as she bustled over. "Big day today, we've got that new bestseller coming in! Rapunzel, after you clock in, could you please go to the stock room and get the materials for the display? We need to get it up A-S-A-P. Thank you!" she called over her shoulder as she headed to the cash register.  
Rapunzel grinned. "Well...it's got to be a busy day today if Mrs. Barnes starts giving out orders, right?"  
Eugene chuckled, nodding. "Mmhmm. I'm going to go clock in and see if Levi has his new truck ready...he's excited to take it out for the day instead of that old clunker we usually take. See you later,"  
"See you," she nodded, blowing a kiss in his direction. "Love you!"  
He winked and she watched him leave before heading to clock in herself.

 _"Why on earth-you're skin and bones! Where are your parents?" The rotund man asked her. She backed away from the store fearfully. She hadn't been doing anything bad - she'd just been pausing to look in the bookstore's window, dreaming about the heavenly scent of books. She'd been on the run for two weeks and for the past week had been traipsing around Albany, trying to find a homeless shelter that would take her in. They were full up...it seemed that a few other homeless individuals were having the same trouble, but nobody would hold her company for long. They had certain 'territories' and she was the outsider even there. It was understandable, but it still hurt. Her stomach wound had healed for the most part; leaving a gnarled scab, but her arm still ached and had a minor infection she was dealing with. She'd just given up on humanity as a whole.  
"I-I wasn't going to do anything bad, sir. I was just looking at the books," she said quietly. Her eyes flashed with fear. She'd met a few rather unsavory characters in the past two weeks.  
"Runaway?" he asked.  
She nodded silently. "But I'm eighteen. I-I'm...running away from someone who really hurt me." She bit her lip and let her hand pull back the bandages along her arm. He nodded, giving her an odd expression.  
"Do you need a ride to the hospital?" he asked.  
"No!" she blurted before remembering her manners. "N-no, sir. I...I'm okay."  
" 'Sir' is pretty stiff, dear," the man allowed his face to crease into a smile and an expression foreign to Rapunzel. She imagined it was like that of what a father or grandfather would give their child, if this could ever be a perfect world. "Call me Mr. Barnes. It's almost closing time...why don't you step inside for a minute? Explain some things to me."  
She stared at him pensively, mistrustfully, for a few moments. He added that she could trust him and he even had some kids and grandkids of his own, and a nephew who was just a little younger than she had just started working at his store. She took in a shuddering breath and nodded silently, following him inside the bookstore.  
_

"Hello, dear. How is your day going?" Mr. Barnes asked, smiling as she clocked in. The exact date was fuzzy in his memory, but he too remembered finding the bedraggled little girl on the sidewalk one October. Eugene must be good for her; her face always held an expression of general belonging and appreciation more than ever. Nobody would notice it except for the ones who had seen her right after her escape.  
"Oh, it's going wonderfully," Rapunzel smiled. "How is yours?"  
"Nicely, thank you. It's a busy one, though!" he rocked back in his seat a little.  
Rapunzel nodded. "Yep - Mrs. Barnes gave me directions on the display. I should get started on that, right?"  
"She'll chase you with a broomstick if you don't - she might be acting cheery right now, but she's completely stressed and cranky. My poor dear. I think I'll make her take the evening off with me - Levi and Gunther should be able to wrap the place up."  
Rapunzel nodded, smiling. "That'll be nice! She never seems to get frazzled. You guys need a break once in awhile!" When Mrs. Barnes burst through the door, red in the face and carrying a box, Rapunzel scurried out quickly.

* * *

After work, Rapunzel made a quick casserole, leaving Eugene's plate in the oven so it would stay warm for him. It was getting pretty late and she was getting fairly concerned when she finally got a text from him. She called him immediately, her hands trembling like leaves in a windstorm. As she did so, she grabbed the keys to her car, turned the oven off, and ran outside.  
" _Eu_ _gene_!" she gasped into the phone. "Oh my gosh! What happened?! Are you okay? Is Levi okay?"  
"Eh..." she heard a sniff and a muffled sound as Eugene rubbed a trickle of blood away from his nostril. "Someone fell asleep at the wheel and drifted over onto our lane. Levi pounded on the horn and they woke up in time to slam on the brakes. It's on a bridge, so we couldn't swerve to miss them. Because we both hit the brakes, neither of us were going sixty - the posted limit - but the truck's totaled. Airbags were deployed. Windshield's shattered...front end's pretty mooshed up, too, but...we're good. Thank goodness."  
Levi yelled to be heard in the background before Rapunzel could respond, "Can you call Mr. Barnes' home phone? I don't have the number and he's not answering his cell. I need the store's insurance information for the truck."  
Rapunzel bit her lip. "Eugene, please tell Levi that Mr. and Mrs. Barnes were planning on going out tonight, but I'll try their home phone when we got off." she paused as she heard Eugene repeat her message. "Oh my gosh, I'm glad you guys are okay. Is there anything I can do? Oh my gosh...I can't believe this. His new truck? I'm coming. Where are you at? A-are you okay?"  
"Only one question per breath of air, please. Calm down," Eugene chuckled, and she wasn't sure whether she wanted to smile at his laugh and be thankful he was still around to produce it or cry out of frustration. "Yes, his new truck"-at this, she heard a loud groan from Levi-"We're waiting for the police and tow guy. We're about half an hour out from the store, still. We've got some cuts and probably will get some bruises, but we're okay - Levi might have some whiplash, too."

Rapunzel ushered up a silent prayer of thanks. "Oh, thank goodness. Oh, wow...Alright. What street? Is the other person okay?"  
"Right at the beginning of the bridge on the interstate heading north. And yeah," Eugene nodded. "We spoke to him before I called you. He's got a broken nose, probably, but that's it. Oh, and maybe a concussion because he cracked his head against the windshield, but the ambulance hasn't arrived yet to confirm anything. No other passengers. Thank goodness,"  
"Thank goodness," Rapunzel echoed, finally realizing how shaky she was. She gripped her steering wheel a little harder. "Wow..."  
"Think we'll have to do a rain check on the creamery tonight, though-"  
She gave an incredulous laugh. "Eugene Fitzherbert, you just got into what could have been a very bad car wreck, and you're apologizing to me that our plans for the evening have to fall through? I'm not even remotely concerned about that. I'm just so thankful you two are okay!"

"Alright, well-I'm glad you're not upset or anything," Eugene chuckled.  
She shook her head. "Are you sure you didn't hit your head? Goodness gracious, why would I be upset? I'm upset because my husband just got in a car crash that could've very well killed him! I'm on my way. I'll see you - just stay careful!"  
"We will. I love you,"  
"Love you too," she hung up the phone and pushed down the bubbling fear that still hadn't subsided.

There was a traffic jam.  
There were _never_ traffic jams in their little town. Well, maybe sometimes, but not regularly. But...there was.  
Rapunzel got there several minutes after the police and ambulance showed up, but she had to find a place to park off of the bridge. Then she gathered up her first aid kit from the car - sure, the ambulance had been called in, but her mind wasn't working a hundred percent correctly - and started jogging. The cool October air made her skin prickle with goosebumps and she had to reason with herself to not run zigzag through the traffic like a chicken with its head cut off, but she just had to see for herself that he was okay - and Levi too, for that matter.  
A young, gangly police officer stopped her before she could make it the whole way to the scene of the accident. "Miss, we know there's a traffic jam, and we're working to get it taken care of. Please wait patiently or take another road, and don't gawk. Nobody sustained major injuries."  
"I know that! I'm married to one of the individuals involved in the accident," she explained. "Let me through, please?"  
He must've seen the mild panic still written across her face, because he stepped aside and let her through without asking any more questions. Another officer, a man of average height and dark skin, was talking with Eugene, Levi, and a man Rapunzel didn't recognize. The stranger's graying hair still held a few shards of glass and a medic was tending to his nose, so she decided he was probably the other driver. She waited silently, fidgeting, until the officer put away his notebook and nodded, shaking hands with the men and then leaving. Then she hurried over and threw her arms around Eugene.  
"Hey, you," he chuckled and hugged her just as tightly as she was him. "I'm glad to see you."  
"I'm so glad you're okay! _All_ of you!" she exclaimed as she realized that Levi and the older man were still standing there.  
"And not even a hug for me, though," Levi pouted, and she rolled her eyes teasingly before giving him a one-armed hug that made him squirm.  
"Levi, I called the home phone for Mr. Barnes while I was on my way over, by the way. They didn't answer."  
He nodded before turning to assess his truck, which was in an absolutely pitiful condition. The other driver excused himself, dialing someone on his cell phone. Finally, Rapunzel turned to Eugene. 

"Oh my gosh, I'm so glad you're okay. _Are_ you okay?" she peered at his face, using the light from the flashing police lights to see him. He had several small cuts on his face from the shattered windshield glass, and a bit of drying blood clung stubbornly to the skin underneath his nose.  
"I'm fine...I'll probably have a very colorful face once the bruising from the airbag fully develops, but I'm fine. Just a little shaken up," he chuckled quietly, nervousness tinting his laugh. His hands were still shaking, so Rapunzel immediately hugged him again, but then slipped away from him and reached for her first-aid kit.  
"You didn't let them - the ambulance people - clean you up, did you?" she asked. "Levi's cleaned up and the other driver's cleaned up, but you're not," she observed, giving him an almost accusing glance.  
"They have more important things to do than clean up cuts. Levi needed to be checked for a neck injury, as did Jake - the other driver - and Jake's nose needed tending to, too. I can clean myself up when I get home-" he broke off mid-sentence when Rapunzel stood up on tiptoe to peel a microscopic sliver of glass out of the worst nick. He grimaced, but snagged her hand before she could pull the disinfectant wipes or antiseptic cream out. "Hey. They're not life threatening-"  
"Let me mother-hen for a minute! I've-I've got all this pent up worry to release!" she exclaimed. "Did you call the towing company yet?"  
"He's out on call," Levi overheard her question and answered. "He said he'd come through when he had the other car dropped off."  
"So a long wait, in other words," Eugene sighed, grimacing as he glanced at the traffic jam behind them.  
"That's okay. Stay still," she directed, dabbing antiseptic cream on his face. "Is your nose broken or just bloody?"

"Just bloody," he reassured her, and she sighed in relief. After she'd put the first aid kit away, she hid her hands in her cardigan as they shook once more, her stress draining away. Eugene took one look at her and pulled her up against him. "Hey. Don't be scared, we're fine. Thank goodness, we are, but we're fine."  
"I know...but you could've been killed!" she exclaimed. She didn't add the rest of her sentence: _I don't know what I'd do if I didn't have you_.  
He nodded in understanding and gave her another squeeze. "Well...let's not focus on what could've happened and instead think about what _did_ happen. Okay?"  
She nodded, nibbling her lip a moment. "I'm never letting you drive again."  
"No, that's what my mom's going to say when she finds out I wrecked my new truck," Levi strode over and piped up. "I still haven't told her yet. I like to keep that element of surprise going."  
"She's going to kill you, Levi! Maybe not for totaling your truck, because that was out of your control, but definitely for not telling her!" Rapunzel exclaimed.  
"Trust me," Eugene gave Rapunzel a teasing grin and then gave Levi a conspiratorial expression. "If I hadn't told this one, she would've slain me."  
She tsked her tongue, but Levi took the opportunity and ran with it. "Really? She's so short and tiny all over-"  
"She's wicked with a frying pan, though," he shook his head, and Rapunzel tsked her tongue.  
"Well, since you're both having so much fun teasing, I'll assume you're okay and back to normal. Either that or have nervous energy to get rid of," she grumbled. 

It was nearly one o'clock in the morning when Rapunzel and Eugene got back to their little Victorian home. Eugene groaned as they went inside the house.  
"I've never been happier to get home after work," he yawned. "When I said today was going to be a long day at work, I didn't mean it to be _this_ long of a day."  
"And I hope it never happens again," Rapunzel said. "I'll get up in the morning to take the books to Mr. Barnes' house, since the store's closed tomorrow. But you sleep in, alright?"  
Eugene made a neutral-sounding noise, and headed for the fridge. "We'll see. Should I call this dinner or a midnight snack? Midnight dinner? Snicker - dinner _and_ snack mashed up together?"  
She laughed. "You're something else. I did make casserole, but it's kinda..." she pulled the plate from the oven and scrunched her nose up. "I'm just gonna throw that out. I should've put it in the fridge instead. Sorry,"  
"That's fine," he shook his head and pulled out a container of leftover stir-fry. "Sorry our plans got messed up. I wanted to make sure you didn't spend the day alone like you did five years ago."  
She shook her head and grinned. "Only you, Eugene...only you. There are two major differences, though, that I'm especially grateful for."  
"Hm?" he said through a mouthful of rice that had been stuffed hungrily into his mouth.  
"One, I have a house now, and two, I have you," she kissed him on the cheek. "And I'm glad you're okay. You're never getting inside a car again."  
He laughed. "Really? Is that even humanly possible? Someday, I'll need to."  
"Ride a bike, then," she said.  
"Bike riders get into really messy accidents-"  
"Okay, just stay out of trouble," she laughed.  
"Never, darling," he teased.


	4. Chapter 4

_Married; 7 years  
 **Sorry I haven't been on here much, guys! I've been so busy, and it seems like every time I sit down to write, something comes up. But here you go! But I'm out of school now. For good. Until college. I don't know what to do with myself. I'll be writing a lot, so you'll be seeing more of me...I hope. Enjoy - I hope xD  
**_

* * *

Rapunzel laughed at the wide-eyed little girl that was racing back and forth in their backyard. Playing a game with an imaginary friend named Ella, their little girl was having a big time. Although...she wasn't very little anymore. As a five year old, she was getting way too big and certainly very independent. She'd start kindergarten this fall.

"Sweetie, do you want to help me water the garden?" Rapunzel called, wiping her mucky hands on her jeans. The girl stopped in her tracks, grinning before dashing over to her mother, giggling breathlessly.  
"Yeah! When's Daddy coming home?"  
Rapunzel smiled. Missy didn't seem to have a preference with her parents, but she certainly kept track of when her father was to come home from work. "He'll be coming home soon, I think. Until then, let's give these plants something to drink, okay?"  
"Okay," she nodded, taking the small pink-plastic watering can her mother held out. "I bet they're very thirsty. It's hot out."  
"Mhmm," Rapunzel nodded, pointing out the leaves of a tomato plant. "See how withered they get when it's too hot? Plants get droopy when they're thirsty and too hot."  
"Kinda like us!" she nodded. She stooped down to inspect a bean plant. "Look how big this is, Mom! It's going to be 'big as me!"  
Rapunzel laughed. "I hope not. It'll be like Jack and the Beanstalk then!"

Missy ran back and forth, watering the plants with wild abandon...getting more water in the grass than in the raised garden beds. Rapunzel couldn't muster up even an ounce of tired frustration; she'd go back and water those plants after Missy went inside. And very soon, Missy _did_ lose interest.  
"Mom, can I go inside and get my dolls? I'm done with this row!" she called, watching her mother with bright brown eyes. Rapunzel nodded and thanked Missy for her help, and when the child tore inside, she hurried to water the rest of the plants.  
 _Daddy should be coming home soon, I think_...Rapunzel glanced towards the nice little white gate and picket fence as she heard the gate latch click. "Missy," she called towards the house. Eugene smiled, putting a finger to his mouth and slipping around to hide beside the rose bushes planted beside the back porch. Yes, it was a nice Friday afternoon and he'd only been gone away at work, but Missy always missed him anyway. Rapunzel nodded at Eugene and grinned, repeating their daughter's name just before she burst through the door.  
"What?" she asked, starting to hurry over to Rapunzel. Eugene crept along behind her - quite an amusing scene, the tall man tiptoeing silently behind the young girl. Just before Missy made it to Rapunzel, Eugene let out a yell and grabbed the child from behind, scooping her up and tickling her. She shrieked, but then started giggling and squirming, trying to make him stop. When he finally did, she kissed his cheek, still giggling. "I missed you, Daddy!"

He chuckled. "I missed you too. Both of you," he winked at Rapunzel, and she gave him a teasing eye-roll. Seven years of marriage and he still greeted them that way: after picking up book shipments, he'd missed them. Missy quickly dove into a narration of what she had done while he was at work, and Rapunzel picked up the watering cans and the toys Missy had dropped in her surprise. At the back door of their cozy Victorian home, Rapunzel pried off her filthy, sweaty sneakers - she'd been working in the garden all day - and then set the watering cans down at the doorstep. Eugene made a big fuss out of Missy's dirty hands and grass-stained pants, so she hurried to go change and wash her hands, taking her toys with her.

"Be careful, sweetheart!" Rapunzel shook her head and grinned, watching the girl's long brown hair swish along behind her as she ran up the stairs. "She's something else, isn't she?"  
"Mmhmm. I think she gets her energetic personality from her mom, though," he chuckled, "that's _definitely_ not from me."  
She grinned, turning to scrub her hands clean in the kitchen sink. "So how was work today?"  
"We haven't hit the busy period quite yet - that'll be pretty soon, though, I'd imagine. We just kind of hung around and rearranged boxes today. It was both infuriatingly boring and a wonderful break," he said, watching her a moment before hugging her from behind. "How was your day, gorgeous?"  
She snorted before she could control herself. "If you call sweaty, dirty, and just overall _smelly_ gorgeous...you have a very biased opinion. We worked in the garden all day, and I quite honestly don't know how Missy can still be running around like she drank two cups of sugar for breakfast."  
Eugene laughed. "Like I said, she's her mother's daughter. But that's an interesting simile. Do you think you're up for a date tonight? Levi offered to come watch Missy."  
Rapunzel quirked a brow and turned to look at Eugene quizzically. Date nights had gone out the window with Missy's birth, but she'd honestly hardly even noticed. They still spent plenty of time together, but...still...some time to themselves sounded as wonderful as a glass of cool water on a hot day. Hm...or maybe she was just thirsty after working in the sun. But would Missy be okay with it? Levi had been dubbed "Uncle Levi" and she absolutely adored him - hence why he often came over for supper to see her. However, playing games with Levi while Mom and Daddy were still in the house was entirely different from playing games with Levi while Mom and Daddy were _not_ still in the house! 

"Do you think Missy will be alright with it? I mean...it'd be nice...but I'll have to take a shower and get dinner ready for her, and-" she glanced towards the clock, "what time did you tell him to come over?"  
Eugene leaned up against the center counter. "We'll see. I think she'd be alright, but if not, Levi could always text us. I asked him if he could be here around six, so you have a little bit. I can whip up some macaroni and cheese for her while you take a shower, if you want. But if you don't want to, that's fine," he shook his head and watched his wife's face carefully, a small smile playing across his face. "I just thought it would be nice. You're going to chew a hole through your lip if you keep chewing it..." he added.  
She stopped chewing her lip and instead squinted her eyes while she thought it through. Finally catching his patient smile - still something she'd never take for granted - she melted a bit. "Alright. But if Missy doesn't take it well, we'll be back home right away. Right?"  
"You have my word, princess," he winked, and she rolled her eyes, grinning. She reached up on tiptoe to give him a quick peck on the lips, which he immediately returned.  
"Eww, Mom!"  
Rapunzel turned towards the voice, blushing and smiling teasingly at her daughter. "Let's remember that disgust at affection when you're fifteen or sixteen, sweetie!" she laughed at her daughter's disgust. "Did you put your dolls away?"  
"Yep," she nodded so hard her brown hair, which was sloppily pulled into a ponytail, bobbed. Rapunzel grinned and knelt on the floor, holding her arms out.  
"C'mere, let me fix that. Okay?" Missy nodded and sat in front of Rapunzel as she quickly fixed the poor-looking ponytail. "Little Miss, would you be okay if we left you with Levi for a little while this evening? If we went somewhere for awhile?"  
"Why?" she asked.  
"So Mom and I can go kiss without grossing you out," Eugene joked, pulling the box of macaroni out of the pantry.  
Rapunzel laughed. "Dad's awful, isn't he? We'll maybe just eat. He hasn't told me yet."  
"It's a surprise?" Missy asked.  
"Mmm...maybe. Or maybe he's just being a tease," Rapunzel said. "Would you be alright, staying with Levi? Here, of course, at home. You'd have your toys."  
Missy nodded eagerly. "I'll be good, I promise! When's Uncle Levi coming?"  
"Around six o'clock," Rapunzel said, surprised at how easily she'd accepted it. "Can you watch the clock and tell me when it's six?"  
Missy nodded, running over to the couch and jumping up on it, staring pensively at the clock. Rapunzel turned to frown in mild surprise at Eugene, and he nodded in agreement before helping to her feet.

"It's six o'clock!" Missy screamed, nearly spitting out her mouthful of macaroni to do so. "It's-" she gulped and coughed.  
"Don't choke," Rapunzel warned her. "Chew!"  
"Where's Uncle Levi?" she asked.  
"He'll probably be here soon," Eugene chuckled at his daughter's eagerness. When Levi strode in the door, Missy shot out of her chair, raced over, and hugged his knees.  
Levi laughed in surprise, patting the girl's head. "Don't you ever do anything with your kid?"  
Eugene grinned. "Apparently not."  
"Are you sure you'll be okay?" Rapunzel asked. "I don't want to be a bother if you had plans."  
Levi shook his head. "My girlfriend is house-sitting for her friend. Maybe this will be prep for when-rather, if - we get married and have kids of our own." He gave a sheepish smile, the type usually accompanied by the mention of his girlfriend of three years.  
"Okay," Rapunzel nodded. "If she gets upset or you need anything, you can text either one of us. There's some extra mac and cheese on the stove if you want it. Are you-"  
"Go," Levi laughed, waving them both off. "We'll probably play some games after she finishes eating, by the looks of things. Tag? Hide and go seek?" he asked, dropping down to grin at Missy. She nodded eagerly, waving at her parents.  
"I'll be good!" she reassured them with a dimpled grin.

They ultimately decided to go to the diner. Nothing huge - their date nights never were - but just right and fun for them. Eugene pulled Rapunzel's chair out for her and then sat across from her at the circular, red table, pausing to take his wife in. Her mid-length brunette hair fell into her face, but she quickly pushed it away to reveal her vivid green eyes and her freckles, which were even more noticeable in the summer. He realized she hadn't physically changed very much since they'd first met; only now, he could see trust and openness in her eyes. She jiggled her leg beneath the table until Eugene noticed - how could he not, with the whole table jumping around - and nudged her foot gently with his own shoe.  
"If you want to head home, we can," he chuckled. "Levi hasn't texted, has he?"  
"No," she gave him a sheepish grin. "Maybe I have more separation anxiety than I expected _Missy_ to have!"  
He chuckled. "What's the matter? Worried or just not used to it?"  
She shrugged, nibbling her lip. "I don't know. It just doesn't feel quite right. Most parents would probably be happy for a break! You probably think I'm nuts!"  
He grinned and reached to tuck her hair behind her ears. "No. It _does_ feel weird, doesn't it?"  
She nodded, and their conversation stilled as a waitress came to take their order. As they ate, she pulled her phone out to ask Levi how Missy was doing. While she kept checking her phone for a return message, Eugene watched her, his head cocked slightly. Finally, he chuckled to himself.

"Am I that terrible-looking that you can't even look at me, gorgeous?" he teased.  
Her eyes flickered as she remembered how he'd teased her gently, in this manner, when she was so scared of her adoptive mother coming for her. She laughed and set her phone aside. "Jealous of your own daughter, handsome?"  
"Never," he threw back and winked, glancing at the phone as soon as it vibrated. "But what's his response?"  
"Mmhmm, you're as nosy as I am!" she teased. "He says she couldn't care less, and...we don't have to be the over-attached, obsessive parents we're turning out to be."  
He covered his mouth so he didn't laugh with his mouth full. "Alright. He's got a point," he said after he'd gulped, thinking fast to change the subject. "How have your paintings been selling? You haven't spoken much about them lately."  
She shrugged one shoulder. "Same as always. One person asked me if I would commission work for their entire household. I'm just not entirely sure if I should accept or not - they just emailed me this morning, though; said I'd have a week to let them know."  
"They seem kinda pushy to me - I mean, shouldn't you be giving them a time frame for response? How many paintings are they asking for?"  
Rapunzel nodded in agreement. "That's what I was thinking. I didn't do any painting work today - that's partly why, and partly because the garden needed tending to anyway. They want between ten and twenty paintings, ranging between my small and my large canvas sizes. It's a very large house, and it's wonderful of them to ask me. I suppose I should be honored."  
"It'll give you something to do once Little Miss goes to kindergarten this fall," Eugene mentioned, mustering up a small smile. He wasn't ready for that day. He wasn't ready for his little girl to grow up - yeah, kindergarten wasn't _growing up_ , but it certainly felt like it.

"I suppose," she nodded. "It would be a paycheck, too; that's for sure. Oh, geez, I'm not ready for Missy to go! I just want to keep her cuddled up in my arms forever."  
He laughed. "Me too. But oh my, she probably would have nothing of our cuddling. She's a big girl now, she says. No more sitting on my lap for the sake of being close, or falling asleep on my chest on the couch. I guess it's been years since she fell asleep on my chest, though," he sighed.  
Rapunzel nodded. "When she was just a teensy thing. I miss that."  
He crumpled up his burger wrapper, watching Rapunzel carefully. He hadn't planned on bringing it up yet for awhile, and certainly not on their date night, but what better time? "Do you think we should expand our little family?"  
She glanced up, surprised. Certainly, after their marriage, they'd decided that they would have at least two kids, but they'd been so focused on Missy that she hadn't seen that happening. "It would be nice to have someone to run after once Missy goes to school and you're _both_ gone for part of the day," she said. In fact, the idea of having another tiny baby to take care of sounded absolutely perfect. She tried to hold back the grin tugging at her mouth.  
"I see that grin coming," he teased. "Have you thought about it much? Personally, I've been chewing on the idea for a little while, but I didn't know when to bring it up."  
"Same here," she nodded. "After I realized that our little girl was outgrowing my arms."  
He gave a sad smile of sorts. "She needs to stop growing."  
Rapunzel nodded. "Mmhmm. But don't tell her that. She'd vehemently disagree with you. Before I start bawling over her getting too big, how has the new manuscript been coming along?"

Eugene groaned. He'd begun the fourth book in his mystery series, but the characters did _not_ want to cooperate. "I think Ms. Main Character ran away and took my brain with her. She probably left with Mr. Supporting Character. I'm about to file a missing-organ-report with the police or something," he joked, grinning when Rapunzel rewarded him with a laugh.  
"Have you tried making a playlist of songs to help you get in the writing mood?" she asked. He did so once in awhile, in order to jog his mind into thinking like his main characters.  
Shaking his head, he stuffed one last handful of fries in his mouth before answering. "See, I told you my brain went missing. I haven't yet, no."

They stayed out talking until nine o'clock, and then walked home. Rapunzel stayed tucked underneath his arm, yawning tiredly. She was tired, yes, but it was a happy sort of tired.  
"Thank you," she glanced up at him with a smile.  
"For...?" he asked, furrowing his brows but giving her a confused grin in return.  
"Tonight, silly," she laughed. "I'll be happy to get back to Missy, but tonight was a lot of fun."  
"I'm glad you enjoyed yourself," he kissed her forehead. When they got back to their home, Levi was on the couch, watching the tail end of the latest animated movie. Missy was fast asleep on the other side of the couch, her hands clutching her favorite stuffed animal.

"Thanks," Eugene said quietly to Levi after they entered. "How was she?"  
"An energetic angel," he laughed quietly. "She only asked once when you were coming home."  
Once Levi left and Missy was carried up to her room and tucked in, Eugene gave Rapunzel a teasing smile. "Told you she'd be fine."


	5. Chapter 5

_Married: 5 years_  
"Missy dear, are you playing kitty?" Rapunzel asked her daughter, looking up from her book. She could've sworn she had heard a cat's meow. Certainly not!  
Three-year-old Missy whirled around, grinning. "Meow? Meow," she tried to imitate a cat's meow at the mention of _kitty_. Rapunzel smiled at her, but set her paperback book aside and tilted an ear towards the front door. A hot breeze eased lazily through the house from the door, which was cracked open. Missy went back to playing with her blocks on the floor, but the noise persisted.  
Finally, Rapunzel got up from the couch and strode to the front door, opening it to find a gray and white cat.  
"Well, hello," Rapunzel knelt on the floor, holding her hand out to it. The cat, whose belly was quite round but whose hipbones were jutting out from the rough, dirty patchwork coat, shied away from her hand. Missy pounded over towards the door, giggling and reaching her chubby hands out. "No, sweetie - stay back. I don't know if it's friendly or not. It's scared right now. You can watch, but you can't touch it yet. Okay?" Rapunzel turned around and addressed her daughter gently. She poked her lower lip out in a pout, sitting down and crossing her little arms. A moment later, though, she was leaning up against Rapunzel's shoulder, watching with curious brown eyes. 

The cat stared warily. Rapunzel cooed to it, trying to gain its trust. Finally, she stood up and, shutting the door and asking Missy to follow her, she headed to the kitchen.  
"What're you gonna do, Mommy? Is it okay?"  
"I'm not sure, honey. We have to make sure it isn't sick. But I'm going to get it a can of tuna and we'll see if it eats and drinks." Rabies was her main concern, obviously; but the cat wasn't acting disoriented. She opened a can of tuna and bustled back to the door, setting the can on the porch. The cat stared warily at her for a moment, but then approached and immediately began eating. When the can was emptied, Rapunzel pulled it back inside to fill it with water, setting it back outside. The cat drank thirstily, kneading the cement porch with its claws. It looked up at her and meowed, then went back to the water.  
"Is it okay?" Missy asked once more.  
Rapunzel nibbled her lip. "It seems okay, but don't pet it yet. I don't want you to get sick. Okay? I'm going to call Daddy - why don't you pick up your blocks?"  
"No, I'm still playing!" Missy exclaimed, running back to the living room. Rapunzel grinned, shaking her head, and retrieved her cell phone. 

"Hey, hon. What's up?" She could tell Eugene had his mouth full; she must've disturbed he and Levi's lunch break despite the fact that it was nearly two o'clock.  
"Ah, we have a stray cat on the porch right now. I'm not sure what to do; I gave it some food and water, but it won't stop crying," Rapunzel peered out the door at the creature before continuing, "I don't know if it's wormy or what, but it's really chubby in the belly, and its hipbones are protruding. I don't know if someone lost it, or...I don't know. What do I do?"  
Eugene cleared his throat, processing this. "Is it acting disoriented? Frothy along its mouth?"  
"No," Rapunzel shook her head as if he could see. "Should I bring it inside? It's supposed to rain later. I don't want the poor thing to get all wet. It seems...it's not disoriented, but it seems _concerned."_  
Eugene held back a groan. Their house was likely about to be infested with fleas. He didn't mind animals, but fleas? They were nothing but pesky little beasts, and terrible annoyances. "Put it in the bathroom, I guess. Then if it messes, it's just contained to one small area. I'll get some litter and a box for it before I come home. Tomorrow, we'll see if someone's missing a cat or if the humane society will take it."  
"Okay," Rapunzel glanced back outside, then towards Missy. "Now the real battle begins: keeping Missy out of the bathroom when she realizes that a kitty's in there." She dropped her voice to a whisper at the mention of _kitty_.  
Eugene chuckled. "Good luck. I should be home around six, okay? I love you."  
"Love you too," she ended the call and perched her hands on her hips a moment, surveying the situation. The cat continued meowing at the door, pacing back and forth. Rapunzel rushed up her spiral staircase into her painting studio-slash-library, carefully emptying a box of new canvases and brushes. It was just the right size for a cat. Taking some of her scrap towels, she made a bed in the box for the cat, then got two small dishes: one for more tuna, and one for water. After setting this all in the bathroom on the main floor, Rapunzel went out onto the porch and crouched down. "Hi, kitty-cat. What's got you so upset?" she asked, wiggling her fingers at the cat. 

The cat, which she now placed as a female, stared at her pensively with golden eyes. Finally, she raised a paw to her face, rubbing it clean, and then licked her stomach a few times before looking back at Rapunzel, ears stuck between being plastered back in anger or fear and being pricked upwards with curiosity. Continuing to coo compliments to the cat, Rapunzel inched forward on the deck, shuffling her feet. One nosy neighbor stared at her peculiar actions for a second, but she didn't notice. When the cat didn't run, she reached out to tickle its chin. The cat leaned into her touch, so Rapunzel scooted over and scooped the cat right up.  
"For being so bony, you're plenty firm down here," Rapunzel notified the cat, carrying it inside. She deposited it in the bathroom and showed it the tuna and water. The cat drank more, but ignored the food. It resumed pacing the room, releasing a quiet chirp once in awhile. Rapunzel slipped back outside of the bathroom after scrubbing her hands and arms, and then returned her attention to her daughter. 

When Eugene came home bearing items from the local pet shop, they ate supper and waited until Missy was off to bed before they tended to the cat. Eugene went in first, while Rapunzel tucked Missy in bed.  
"Rapunzel!" Eugene's howl traveled up the staircase. Rapunzel carefully shut Missy's door and headed for the staircase. "I thought you said there was _one_!"  
"There _is_ only one!" Rapunzel hollered, pounding down the staircase.  
"I can count!" he yelled back, "And there's _five-_ "  
"I'm here, no need to yell," Rapunzel appeared behind him, and he sidled over so she could see, pointing wordlessly, "and I can guarantee-oh my _goodness_!"  
The gray and white cat lay curled up - not in the box made for her, but on the bathmat. Wadded on top of the soft bathmat was one of Eugene's shirts; both articles she must have pulled from the laundry basket in the bathroom. She purred and kneaded the messy shirt as four little balls of fur nursed at her stomach, which wasn't nearly as firm now. The tuna was gone once more.  
"She must have had them while we were eating," Rapunzel gasped, hurrying in and kneeling a short distance away. "Your big belly wasn't due to worms, I take it! You're a momma cat!"  
Eugene stood, staring in disbelief. "Four kittens. Four kittens and a mother. What're we going to do with them? And on my good shirt to boot. Well, we don't have a clean bathmat anymore, but we have cats. Five of them."  
"That must've been why she was crying so much. She wanted a safe place to have her little ones," Rapunzel held a hand out carefully to the cat, who stared warily at her. So as to not scare her, Rapunzel withdrew her hand. "Poor girl! Wonder how long she's been wandering the streets, then?"  
"Long enough, I suppose," Eugene sighed, coming to his senses enough to start setting up the litter box. "I'll call the humane society in the morning, I guess. I don't even know if they'll take a brood of kittens."  
"Oh, but how can you be very upset?" Rapunzel asked. "Look how precious they are!"  
"...Fleas _everywhere_...Curtains shredded...Pascal mutilated-" Eugene continued to mumble potential tragedies.  
"Pascal will _not_ be mutilated," Rapunzel broke him off. "He'd stay away from them. Thought we were calling the humane society tomorrow, though."  
"Like I said, they might not even take them," Eugene reminded her. "And then we're in a huge pickle."  
"Not a _huge_ pickle. Just...one midsize pickle and four teensy pickles. Doesn't amount to a huge pickle," the optimist reasoned.  
"Wouldn't that equal one huge pickle, then? Four teensy plus one midsize?" Eugene, though teasingly, shot back with mild annoyance.  
Rapunzel shook her head. "No. A _large_ pickle, perhaps; not a _huge_ one. Huge would be, what, extra large?"  
Eugene groaned and shook his head. "I'm gonna choose to be the optimist and hope that we won't have to have five cats for very long."

The next morning, as predicted, the humane society would not take the cats. They were full-up with cats- just like most other shelters in the area, apparently. Eugene bumped his head on the edge of the bookstore's old pickup bed with frustration. And then he came home to an elated three-year-old and a wife whose eyes showed that she was in love with these cats. Two tabbies, one gray and white, and one gray kitten made up the litter. The mother cat grew more trusting with more tuna - and the small bag of cat food Eugene brought home didn't hurt. To Rapunzel's patient explaining, Eugene was shown that the cat did _not_ have an infestation of fleas.  
"You were probably more filthy when I first let you stay here than she is," Rapunzel teased him gently.  
"Well, yeah - she can clean herself! I couldn't," Eugene defended himself indignantly.  
"I know we'll have to rehome them, though. Or at least _most_ of them..." she trailed off.  
"Show me some flea medication and we'll talk," Eugene said. To his surprise, Rapunzel dashed out of the bathroom, came back with a piece of paper, and showed him the cart list and tracking number of the order she'd just placed: flea medication, wormer, special kitten food for when they got old enough, and a couple of toys. He tried to be mad, but couldn't.

* * *

Seven weeks later, three of the four almost two-month-old kittens were rehomed. It turned out that Levi knew the manager at a horse boarding stable; all three of the kittens would be used as barn cats to keep the rodent population in check. The leftover tabby and the mother cat stayed at the cozy Victorian house. Pascal spent most of his time in the painting studio, or on cupboards where the rambunctious kitten couldn't catch him. The mother cat was patient with Missy and allowed her to pet and play with her. The kitten seemed drawn to Eugene, especially when he was working on manuscripts through the night when everyone else was asleep. Maybe the cats' presence could be tolerated. And not a flea was to be found.


	6. Chapter 6

_Married; less than 1 year_

Rapunzel yawned, shutting her book and unearthing herself from underneath her blanket. It was almost midnight, and she wasn't staying up to wait for Eugene one more minute. For the past few weeks, he'd been completely and utterly consumed by his recent manuscript - a mystery that he remained very tight-lipped about - and had barely spoken a word to her, outside of what was absolutely necessary; let alone spend any quality time with her. Still now, working into the late and chilly November night, he was hunched over the little desk in the corner of the living room, rattling away on the computer keyboard.  
"I'm headed to bed. You need to, as well, or you'll be up all night like you were last Friday," she stood up and slipped her arms around his neck, trying to read the laptop screen from over his shoulder. "And I want to talk to you about something."  
He yawned, taking off the glasses he'd recently needed to purchase for long writing sessions. "You go on up. I'll be...sometime...," he trailed off even then, tapping his lip and then jumping forward in the chair to quickly write another sentence.  
Rapunzel knew _that_ move by heart. He'd struck upon a goldmine of ideas and, as he'd spent last Friday evening, he'd be up until some unearthly hour writing it.

Burrowing under the comforter on their bed, she thought. Was he _tired_ of their marriage, already? Or was he sincerely that obsessed with his book? She could understand his infatuation, and knew that he practically bled English and grammar, but...she blinked against the sting of tears pressing against her green eyes. It still hurt to know that someone preferred their writing's company over hers. Maybe he'd take notice of her if she'd dye her hair sunset orange and wore baggy khaki pants and dark-colored tees, like his lead detective character did.

Just as she'd decided to pull the aforementioned prank on him - or at least buy a wig to do so, as she would look dreadful as a redhead, she decided - Eugene finally tramped quietly into the bedroom. She felt the mattress depress on the other side of the bed with his weight, but kept silent. She wanted to ask him if it was her fault he was focusing so much on his book - if he couldn't stand being around her anymore - but figured she'd leave it for a day when she could get and hold his attention...and also when it was a more decent time. A peek at the alarm clock next to her side of the bed told her it was almost one o'clock. She felt Eugene rest a hand on her shoulder.  
"Are you still up?" he asked quietly. Darn. Had she given herself away by looking at the clock? She gulped and kept quiet, her eyelids squeezed shut. He paused. "I know you are - you're not that good at playing asleep. What's wrong? You said you wanted to talk, didn't you?"

She sighed, reaching to turn her lamp on. Eugene propped himself up on one elbow, and the lamp illuminated the dark patches under his eyes. "Never mind. You're tired." _She_ was tired, too, but she wouldn't sleep until her brain quit over-reacting. She started to reach and turn the lamp off, but Eugene snagged her fingers.  
"Now I _know_ you're upset - your sentences are really short. C'mon," he gave her a concerned gaze, so she sat up. "I'm never too tired for you. You know that."  
"But too busy with a book," she said. Might as well get that out right off. She knew it sounded a little snarky, but she couldn't exactly revise it now that it was out in the open air. So she'd better continue. "I just-I want to know why. I know writing is your _everything_ , but I've never seen you so consumed by it before. Are you sick of me already - is it that you can't stand me to the point where you prefer your own company? What can I do differently?" she wanted to pace the floor but knew it would only make her more tired and not solve anything. She twisted her hands in the comforter instead.  
Eugene stared at her in surprise, mulling over the past few weeks. Then he flew upright in bed. "Oh, sweetie, of course not. I'm not sick of you! I'm sorry...I just kept getting idea after idea after idea, and it all fell into place, so I wanted to finish 'er up before I forgot any of it. I shouldn't have...or at the very least, should've spent more time with you. Why would you even _think_ that I didn't care about you anymore?"

"Well..." she bit her lip. "Because most people _do_ tend to get sick of me. Except for Mr. Barnes and the employees, but they're not around me _all the time_."  
His shoulders slumped. "I'm sorr-"  
She shook her head, burying her face in her hands when she realized how outlandish it all had to sound to him. She was overreacting. "No, just-just never mind. I'm overreacting. Sorry. I just need to learn not to take everything to heart. Especially when I know-"  
"Huh-uh," he shook his head. "I can see how you could get upset at me. I know I've blown you off at least twice because I was too absorbed in my writing, and then forgot to talk with you later. You never said a peep 'til now."  
"But I'm not _upset_ ," she looked up at him finally. "I-I was just sad and worried that you were, like, miserable in our marriage or something."  
He looked at her for a few moments, allowing it to process. Then he laughed. "I'm sorry, and I know you have your grounds to be concerned, so I'm not laughing at your concern, but _miserable_ isn't a word I've ever thought of in association with being married to you. I'm blessed to have you for so many reasons, another one of them being that you didn't freak on me for spending so much time writing for nearly a month."  
She shrugged her shoulders up to her ears. "So it was silly-"  
"I just said you had grounds for your concern," he repeated, reaching to brush a stray strand of hair away from her eyes. "And if there's a next time for me getting too preoccupied over my writing, then do whatever it takes to tell me what I'm doing. Even if you have to write "TALK TO ME, YOU IDIOT" across all my notes."  
She gaped. "I'd never-"  
"I'm giving you permission to. Run with it, darling," he joked, and then reached to rub the spot between her shoulder blades. Sobering, he asked quietly, "Forgive me?"  
Rapunzel shook her head. "I wasn't _mad_ , just, like I said, kind of sad and worried, so there's nothing to really forgive. How far along is the book, anyhow?"  
"Finished as of...12:49 AM," he yawned. "So now I don't have any distractions."

"Until the sequel is in high demand?" Rapunzel asked, a teasing smile across her face.  
"Not even then," he shook his head, opening up his arms. She sighed, slipping into them and letting him bury his nose in her hair. A warm feeling spread through her limbs, washing away her previous worry and sadness. She wondered how on earth he managed to make her feel better, constantly, without fail; even when he was the one causing her concern. "I'm sorry."  
"Like I said, it's fine," she shook her head and looked up at him. As soon as she did, he dropped a kiss on her forehead. "Love you. Even when you're buried eyeball-deep in your writing."  
He chuckled. "You're a special kind of girl, then. Love you too."  
"Well, it's your entire life. I'd be mean to take you away from it," she yawned and flopped her head up against his shoulder to express her exhaustion. "And I overreact a lot."  
"No, you have life experience, scars, that cause you to worry about such matters. And don't you _ever_ hesitate to pull me away from my writing - even if you have to drag me by the ear - when you need someone. 'Kay?" he asked. She nodded and grinned, giving him a quick, relieved kiss.  
"Okay," she nodded again, pulling away from his arms to switch the lamp off. "G'night." she added, most of it muffled by a yawn.  
"Sweet dreams," he told her, burying under the comforter and immediately reaching to pull his wife close. He buried his nose in her hair, but both were asleep before he could kiss the top of her head.


	7. Chapter 7

_Married: 2 months._

Storms. Eugene hated them - no, he flat-out _abhorred_ them. He didn't mind a quiet rumble of thunder or a rainstorm, no. But rolling claps of thunder which shook the house, following a sharp stab of lightning that illuminated the entire room, and hailstones that threatened to pound in the roof while the wind slammed its body against the windows...those storms he _didn't like._ At all. Even worse if these storms came at night.

 _The storm cropped up fairly unexpectedly. It rained out the football game which sixteen-year-old Devon was supposed to play. Quarter-sized hail bounced off of the roof of the car as the family and Eugene drove home in utter silence. This would, automatically, mean that Devon would take out his anger and disappointment on the little foster kid, Eugene Fitzherbert, and then Devon's father would lock him away somewhere as soon as they got home. Eugene personally liked the storm - he thought that the lightning was fascinating. Plus, he didn't have to sit and watch Devon play football and be the best human being in the universe...like always. But that fascination with lightning was about to come to a violent end. Devon cornered seven-year-old Eugene, punched and kicked him until he was shaking, his nose bleeding and the skin around his eye bruised black. But he wouldn't cry. He wouldn't give Devon the pleasure of seeing him cry. He bit back the lump rising in his throat and stared at him, his lips pressed into a hard line so they wouldn't tremble. And he made his pained brown eyes meet Devon's cold greyish blue ones. Devon's fist was raised to deliver one last blow, but he hesitated upon making eye contact. Thunder boomed, shaking the whole house. Devon let go of Eugene. As fast as his seven-year-old legs could take him, he ran. If he could only get somewhere and hide before his foster father found him..! But he'd hardly made it down the hallway before he met the looming figure. He tried to backtrack, but the man grabbed his arm roughly, dragging him up to the attic. It was, as always, senseless punishment. Something hadn't gone the right way, and so their frustration was taken out on the orphan kid. Eugene never understood why, never would. He screamed and bit the man's arm, but that only made the man kick him into the room, then slam the door with a click. He was locked in the attic. He was too upset to even appreciate the lightning storm outside the window. He'd been locked in the attic once before, and they'd forced him to stay there for three days before finally letting him back out. No food, meager amounts of water. Enough to keep him alive. Eugene beat the door and even leaned out of the window to yell for help, but the storm was too loud - the neighbors couldn't possibly hear him. Now wet and cold and upset in general, he found a pile of old sheets and curled up on them, crying stormily.  
_

 _He didn't have much time to pity himself. There was a peal of thunder that made the house shudder. A dreadful crack, and then the smell of smoke. Another growl of thunder. The carbon monoxide and smoke detectors went off, screaming warnings. Eugene pressed his hands up against his ears, but ran to the window to look out as another bolt of lightning forked through the sky, lighting up the night in an eerie manner. Eugene was blinded by it, and fell backwards onto his rear, burying his face in his hands and crying more - this time out of fear. But this time, the electricity was knocked out and the house shuddered before the thunder came. Smoke puffed from a corner of the window, and then a flame caught, licking up the side of the old house, consuming the old, dry wood in the attic. Eugene shrieked to be heard above the smoke detectors, crying for help. Lightning wasn't fun anymore. He scrambled backwards away from the window, tears streaking down his cheeks, and ran to the door, pounding on it. When no help came, but he could hear footsteps pounding away downstairs, he knew he was alone. Trying to gather his thoughts, he shoved his shirt collar above his nose and crawled rapidly across the floor despite the fact that smoke wasn't yet too thick. Grabbing an antiquated hammer from a toolbelt he believed to have been the foster mother's long-dead father's, he ran back to the door and, with as much strength as he could muster, beat against the door. But the door was thick and the smoke was spreading. The flames lit the attic up in a dreadful, terrifying manner, and drew his attention away from the door. The flames weren't yet spread around the window entirely. He might die from the fall, but he knew he'd die if he stayed in the attic. Nobody would care, anyway. He ran to the window, but then jumped back, eyebrows furrowing as a flame shot out. It was almost as if it wanted to eat him alive; gulp him right up. Dragging up as much courage as a seven year old boy could have, he beat the brittle window until the hammer flew out of the window, shattering it. He punched it through a little more, slicing his little fists. And then he crawled out. The majority of the fire was in the lower level, but had spread upwards into the attic, from the looks of the side of the house._

 _The window was by a tree, which had also caught fire. Flames threatened to nip his fingers, so he took a deep breath and threw himself towards the tree, slipping downwards on a flexible branch. When he was out of the way of the fire, he crawled like a monkey, dropping to the ground as soon as he could. He dropped and rolled, lying there and allowing a harsh sob rip through him. It triggered a series of coughs, and he lie there hacking as the rest of the family stood around the other side of the house, watching it burn and without an extra thought about the little boy they'd taken in to foster. As soon as Eugene could breathe, he stood up and ran to see if everyone was okay. Despite their abuse, he didn't want anyone to die in a fire. Childhood innocence prevented him from selfishness and hatred. As soon as he rounded the corner, the family stared at him.  
"How did you get out?" the foster father asked. The foster mother pulled Devon away from the scene, and they left him with the angry man.  
"I-I broke a window, sir. Nobody came to get me," he said quietly, coughing some more and rubbing his burning eyes.  
"There's a reason for that. No wonder your nickname is what it is. This house has been standing for ninety-three years and not once caught fire, and the day you're kept in the attic during a storm, it catches fire. I was raised in that house!" he yelled, as if it was Eugene's fault. He raised a hand and Eugene immediately ducked away, but then he seemed too distracted by his house to follow through with the abuse. Eugene waited, huddled against a bench in the backyard, until someone came to take him away. It was the first time Eugene realized no one would love him. _

Thunder boomed angrily, making the window in their bedroom shudder in its frame. Eugene was awake in a second, his eyes watching for the lightning certain to come. It cracked and sparked across the night sky, coating everything in the room in a menacing silver. _One thousand one. One thousand two. One thous-_ the next rumble of thunder made him sit bolt upright, and he swung his legs over the edge of the bed, getting up to pace the room. He padded down the stairs to the kitchen, staring outside the backyard door until lightning forced him away from the window. He finally became aware of the rain beating against the roof of the house in torrents. Thunder seemed to pick the house up and shake it, asking _Are you awake, Eugene? Will it happen again?  
_ Eugene gasped and swung around on his bare heel when he heard a stair creak.  
"Eugene? What's the matter?" Rapunzel paused on the spiral staircase, blinking sleepily at him.  
He shook his head, wrapping his arms tightly around his torso. "Nothing," he shook his head, "did the storm wake you up?"  
"Yeah," she nodded. "It's a doozy, isn't it?"  
He nodded. She watched him for a second or two, then continued the rest of the way down the stairs, asking again if he was okay.  
"Oh, just-stupid," he shrugged. "Storm woke me up and now I can't go to sleep."  
"Oh," she nodded again. "Are you sure? You look really pale and worried."

He didn't want to tell her. He was this tall man in his twenties, he shouldn't still be so scared of bad storms. But the fire, and the memories associated with the storm when he was seven, prevented him from forgetting it. And for goodness' sake, a six-foot-four-inch man shaking from head to toe over a storm was pathetic. The concern in her eyes made him feel even sillier yet. He shrugged. "Not a fan of storms, is all."  
"There's a difference between not liking them and shaking all over in terror, which is what you're doing, bud," she came over and set a hand on his arm. "C'mon. Let's head back to bed - the storm will be over soon. In the meanwhile, you can tell me why you don't like storms."  
"Rather stay here," he shook his head. "You can go back to bed, though. I'll sleep on the couch for tonight." _Or not sleep much at all,_ he thought.  
"Then I'll stay here 'til you talk," she said, pulling him over to the couch.  
He sat down and sighed. "I'm not getting out of it, am I?" he asked, trying to cover up a wince when a bolt of lightning yanked his attention away from Rapunzel's curious face.  
"No, so spit it out," Rapunzel said good-naturedly. She jumped up to pull the curtains so the lightning was slightly smothered.  
Eugene bounced his leg up and down instead of pacing the room while he explained everything. The reason why Devon had beaten him, why he was locked in the attic - as stupid of a reason as it was - and the fire. By the time he wrapped the story up, the lightning had gone away, the rain the only reminder of the storm that had gone through. "That's why I didn't want to be upstairs, and why I can't stand bad storms." he sighed. "I'm in my twenties, I shouldn't be so scared anymore!"

Rapunzel shook her head, filled with empathy. "You narrowly escaped a _house fire_ , Eugene! I think your fear is justified. That's absolutely horrible - to leave a seven year old kid locked in the attic as the house burnt down! I'd like to give them a good talking-to, but it wouldn't matter anyway, would it? I'm glad you told me, though," she added, reaching to smooth down a lock of his messy hair. "I'm so sorry."  
"Not your fault," he shrugged, embarrassed at having to tell her how afraid he was of big storms. She impulsively reached to hug him, adding a peck on the cheek for good measure.  
"Yeah, but I'm still sorry you went through it," she said. "And don't you even feel embarrassed for a single second about it. I'm scared of plenty of irrational things, so I won't judge!"  
He chuckled in a self-deprecating manner. "But you're a petite young lady, not a towering young man who's supposed to be all macho and tough."  
"Are you saying that I should be terrified of operating a large tractor because I'm a girl?" she asked, grinning as she referred to an incident in which she'd attempted to mow one of their elderly neighbors' backyard with their tractor.  
"No," he shook his head, shoving her gently and grinning so she knew he was picking on her.  
"So I won't think it weird that you're scared of bad storms. Especially considering the circumstances," she told him. Reaching for the remote, she turned the news on to catch a glimpse of the 12:15AM weather report. A large swathe of green, red, and yellow had just passed through their town. "That's what just passed through, then."  
"Yeesh," he nodded.  
"...And those of you in Akron, New York, you'll want to hang tough for a little longer. This cell is passing through in roughly twenty-three to twenty-seven minutes. It's a stormy night across the country for sure; these storms are still stretching over through the Great Lakes and into the Great Plains. Hunker down and unplug any electronic devices; the lightning count is fairly high for..."

Eugene groaned, pulling the remote from Rapunzel's hand and turning the television off. She wasn't sure whether to laugh or to groan with empathy.  
"C'mon. We'll catch some sleep while we can," she stood up and offered a hand out to him, but he shook his head.  
"If it's all the same to you, I feel a little better down here," he gave her a sheepish grin. _But what if it **did** happen again, and Rapunzel didn't wake up, and she was caught up there and I wouldn't be up there-_  
"Then I'll stay with you down here," she grinned, reaching down to pull the footrests up for the couch. Before he could even answer her, she was running up the stairs to their bedroom, getting the thin blanket and pillows from their bed. She sped down the stairs at the first sound of distant thunder, and missed the last two steps. Tripping and stumbling her way to finding her balance again, she skidded to the couch and threw a pillow at him.  
"How you found the energy to just run up and down those stairs is beyond me," he grumbled as she plopped down beside him, spreading the blanket across both of them. He pulled her close to his side, chuckling as she squirmed to get comfortable. Finally, she settled her head on his chest and then rolled her eyes up to look at him.  
"Wake me up if you want," she told him, "you've stayed up with me often enough over silly things; I'll be happy to sit through the storms with you."  
He plopped a kiss on her forehead. "Mhm."  
He didn't sleep a wink, but as soon as the first lightning bolt struck close enough for the hair on his arms to stand on end, he threw the blanket over his head and pinched his eyes shut. He knew if he'd move a single inch to stand up and pace, he'd wake Rapunzel up - since she had her arm thrown across him and her head on his chest. Peeking one eye open, he ultimately decided that watching her peaceful face when each lightning bolt lit the room was far better than focusing on his insides, which were quivering with fear.


End file.
